Banff Tips

Banff General Information

In the late 1800's the western portion of Canada was being opened to settlers from all over the world with the building of the first Trans-continental railroad by Canadian Pacific Railways.
In 1883 construction was taking place through present-day Banff and neighbouring Lake Louise when three rail workers saw steam rising from the mountains across the valley. The workers had discovered a hot spring, and with its discovery the interest in the area boomed.
Soon after the discovery a dispute over the ownership of the hot springs ensued. The Canadian Government stepped in and designated the area a national park in 1885. Banff was Canada.s first national park and the third in the world after Yellowstone Park (1872) and Australia.s Royal Park (1879).
Today, more than 4,000,000 visitors travel to Banff National Park every year.

Most of the key political and financial players in the construction of the railroad were Scottish. Banffshire, a Scottish county now called Grampian, was the birthplace of Sir George Stephen, the railway.s first president. At a meeting in Montreal convened to discuss the railway building a resort hotel in the new Banff Hot Springs Reservation, the C.P.R. Land Commissioner, knowing the name would be a sentimental favorite to Stephen and C.P.R. stockholder Donald Smith (also from Banffshire), suggested the name Banff. The final decision, however, was left to the Manager of the railway William Cornelius Van Horne. Van Horne also liked the name and the area that had been known as Siding 29 became known as Banff.
According to Webster.s Dictionary the correct pronunciation is BAMPFH, but the variations are many and sometimes quite comical: Ba-NIFF. BARNFF. BAN-fuh-fuh.

The Rockies are 120 million years old, and still only considered to be middle aged!
They are older than the European Alps, the Himalayas and the American Rockies, but younger than the Appalachians.

The Rocky Mountains were formed in three stages: deposition, uplift and erosion.

Deposition. One and a half billion years ago the area that is now the Rockies was at the western shore of North America. Sediments transported by prehistoric rivers collected there, and hardened into sedimentary rock under the weight of the deposits above. The most common sedimentary rocks in the Rockies are limestone, shale, dolomite and quartzite.
Uplift . About 200 million years ago, the continental plate underneath North America stopped drifting eastward and reversed its direction. Off the Western shore were a series of Islands and reef-like masses. When these two land masses began to collide the compressive force initiated mountain building. The sedimentary formations were compressed horizontally for 35 million years and the soft layers of rock below the surface began to fold. Under this tremendous stress some of the folds eventually fractured and huge sheets of rock slid free over the underlying layers. Some of these sheets moved 40-60 kilometers creating the Rocky Mountains.
Erosion . The mountain peaks we see today have been eroded by ice, water and wind for over 120 million years. The process of erosion is constant and the mountains are forever changing shape. These factors are wearing down the Rockies at the rate of about one meter every 17,000 years.

The weather in the mountains can always be counted on for one thing. it is unpredictable. Banff has a cool, dry climate. Travelers should always bring layers with them so they can change according to the weather.
Summer days are usually warm through June to September, but it can get cool at night around 10-15° Celsius (50-59°F). Average daytime temperature 20-25° Celsius (68-77°F).
Autumn is typically clear and sunny with an average daytime temperature of 10-15° Celsius (50-59°F).
Winter generally last from November to March, temperatures range from -5 to -20° Celsius (23 to -4°F). December and January are typically the coldest months when temperatures can drop to -30°Celsius (-22°F).
Spring is usually quite comfortable with temperatures from 10-15° Celsius (50-59°F).
The average snowfall in Banff is 235cm annually.

All visitors to Banff National Park should purchase a .Park Pass.. The revenues generated from the sale of park passes help to fund the parks daily operations. Passes can be purchased at the Banff Information Centre in downtown Banff.

The town of Banff is located within the National Park, various types of wildlife can been seen any day, any time. The most frequent wild animals to be seen are: elk, deer and many different species of birds. To see the more elusive types of wildlife, such as bears, cougars and mountain goats, it is suggested to take a tour that goes into the non-inhabited portions of the park.
Wildlife Tips:

Do not feed animals. Animals accustomed to being fed will expect this treatment from visitors, and will become a nuisance, and possibly a danger.
Do not leave food or garbage unattended. Bears will frequent areas if they know that they can easily obtain food. Place all garbage in the animal-proof bins and keep all food locked in your trunk.
Do not approach wildlife.
Observe posted speed limit, be especially careful while driving at night.
Elk, deer, moose and sheep are highly unpredictable during their mating season (Sept. . Nov.). It is best to avoid them completely during this time.
Keep pets restrained on a leash. Do not take dogs into the backcountry.

Yes, Banff has some of the best tap water in Canada, and it is absolutely safe for drinking.
The water in the streams and lakes has not been treated and should not be consumed by people.

The population of the town of Banff is 7500.
Banff is at an elevation of 4,537 feet above sea level.
Banff national Park is 6641 square kilometers.
There are more than 1000 glaciers in the Rocky Mountains.
The Banff Springs Hotel was built by Canadian Pacific Railways in the year 1888.

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